As I revisit the memoir of my mother, "In the Garden," Alexander McCall Smith’s words ring true: “Memory has the effect of a telescope, making things we see through its lens, bigger than they really are.” ("Trains and Lovers")
“On Christ the solid rock I stand…”**
Rocks symbolize a grounding presence, a reminder of deep roots; a sense of timelessness and a link to the eternal; they are fitting symbols of God and our relationship with Him:
God is a rock, a source of strength and refuge. “The Lord is my rock and my fortress, my deliverer, my strength in whom I will trust.” (Psalm 18:2)
Jesus is the cornerstone, the essential foundation of Christian faith. He is the first stone and aligns all the rest. “Therefore, you are…built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.” (Ephesians 2:20)
Believers are living stones; parts of a spiritual temple on earth. “As you come to Him, the living Stone…you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house…“ (I Peter: 4,5)
Like the durability of rocks, my parents learned perseverance. They developed inner wisdom - the capacity to remain calm and steadfast amidst life’s challenges — and like rocks, whose porousness allows repeated abrasion, such as a river current, to wear away rough edges, making them rounded and smooth. So my parents, through suffering and hardship, became malleable, humble, obedient followers of their Lord, seeking His will instead of their own – they were the clay on the wheel of the Potter - created beings in the hand of their Creator.
“He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock”**
The words of the beloved hymn refer to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, providing a shelter, a safe place and refuge for mankind. “…one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, bringing a gush of blood and water.” (John 19:34)
It was in the cleft, the crevice of the Rock, her Lord, that my mother found shelter, protection, intimacy, communion and a place where God revealed Himself and His will to her. It was there she met her Lord, when life came at her hard; when she came to the end of herself:
Early in their marriage, Ellen helped Henry plant an asparagus field, only to find out, when they harvested the crop they had so painstakingly planted and tended, that the profits were not what they’d been promised. It was a painful blow.
Ellen is pinning the bedsheets on the clothesline to dry. “Oh, my Lord. Woe is me! We were promised the profits from the asparagus crop, and…”
“Ellen, I know what happened, my dearest one. I know how hurt and mistreated you feel.”
“My Lord. We worked so hard, and we needed the money! It was so unfair!”
“Ellen, I know.”
“But, but…”
“Ellen, when He comes, He will judge the world regarding right and wrong; it is no concern of yours.”
“But…,” she wailed. She couldn’t let it go. “It was so unfair!”
“Ellen,” His voice enveloped her with an aura of love, so tangible she felt sheltered as a babe in the womb. “You live in a fallen, disjointed world, where events disappoint and are constantly unraveling. You need to put your trust in Me, so you do not become unraveled too.”***
“In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
Her cares ebbed away like the tide at noonday. “My Lord, I’m overwhelmed with the responsibilities of being a helpmeet for Henry and caring for my children. Teach me to trust You.”
“Ellen, my dear one. I will always be here for you. ‘Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink…Look at the birds of the air {which you love}: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you {and Henry} not of more value than they?’”
And then He was gone. Ellen finished pinning the bedsheets and went inside to fix supper, with a feeling of peace in her heart. She had met her Lord in the “cleft of the Rock.”
For more information about "In the Garden," contact Janet at janethasselbring23@gmail.com.
**Hymn tune, "He Hideth My Soul"
***"Jesus Calling," Sarah Young
